Ray Benson’s On A Mission to Save Texas’ Dance Halls

His Texas Dance Hall Tour runs March 20-25

By Danielle Ransom

Published: March 17, 2017

Asleep at the Wheel

When people think of the history of Texas, barbecue, cowboys, and football are usually the first things that come to mind. They rarely think of dance halls, establishments that are historically unique to the Lone Star State.

Dance halls are relics of the past, remnants of German and Czech communities that founded many towns across the state, and served as a social hub for people to gather together for dancing, weddings, meetings and more.

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, more than 1,000 dance halls across the state served as cornerstones for Texas culture and pride and were where some of country music’s greats got their first big breaks. The lack of funding and recent urbanization that has shifted populations into cities has whittled Texas down to 400 open halls today.

Legendary dance hall musician Ray Benson, frontman of Asleep at the Wheel, is making it his mission to preserve these historical places with the Texas Dance Hall Tour, which kicks off on March 20 at the Pearl Stable in San Antonio with an acoustic performance from Benson. The tour runs March 20-25 and includes stops at Twin Sisters Dance Hall in Blanco, Sengelmann Hall in Schulenburg and the Fair Pavilion in La Grange.

“We wanted to call attention to these old dance halls. A lot of them are in smaller communities where the population has dwindled since the last 60 years, or in some cases, been absorbed into the suburbs,” Benson says. “It’s just calling attention to how important [dance halls] are to Texas’ culture.”

It was Sam Seifert, Benson’s general manager, who got the idea to do the tour to promote country music to new audiences and bring attention to Texas’ dance halls that will hopefully lead to more funding for repairs and maintenance.

“We always wanted to do a festival, cruise, or something of that nature; something unique that made sense with what our band is and what we do,” Seifert says.

The duo teamed up with the Texas Dance Hall Preservation organization to curate a tour through six of Texas’ most iconic dance halls for guests to experience the Lone Star state through a more historical lens told through dance and music, starting in San Antonio and ending in La Grange.

Dance instructors will be on hand to teach guests signature Texas dances like the Schottische, Texas Two-Step, the Jitterbug and the Texas Waltz.

“We’re excited to be able to do an event that is bringing in people from all over the country, even from overseas,” Seifert says. “The fact that they trust in us and are interested Texas culture, the dance halls and the music we play is something we take pride in and we are excited to share this experience with them.”

Aside from an assortment of traditional dinners, various regional daytime activities like trips to a whiskey distillery, winery and a buggy barn will be included in six tour packages that range from $750 to $3500 which can include transportation and lodging. All packages include access to the concerts, daytime activities, and dinners. Individual tickets will not be sold.

Benson and Fleming hope this tour will kick start something greater and are already planning another tour of different dance halls in October 2017.

“We’d just like to grow it into something we can do every year that will be fun for both us and the participants because we play a lot of concerts, but we don’t play a lot of dances,” Benson says.

The Performers

Asleep at the Wheel

Fronted by Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel creates a unique sound Benson calls “jazz with a cowboy hat,” which is a unique combination of American blues and swing.

Lee Ann Womack

A Grammy Award winner and recipient of six Country Music Awards, this self-proclaimed progressive traditionalist is known for her hit “I Hope You Dance.” Womack has sung for various presidents, at the Concert for the Nobel Prize and at Maya Angelou’s Celebration of Joy Rising event.

Dale Watson

A honky tonk legend and advocate for country music, Dale has made appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Austin City Limits and NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. Watson christened the music term Ameripolitan which is original music with prominent roots influence such as rockabilly, western swing and honky-tonk.

Hot Club of Cowtown

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this band fuses swing and jazz to make an authentic Western Swing sound that has garnered them attention from abroad. Hot Club of Cowtown has served as musical ambassadors for the U.S. State department, touring venues in Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Sultanate of Oman in addition to tours with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan.

The Quebe Sisters

Inspired by the likes of Bob Wills and Spade Cooley, the Quebe Sisters’ music draws directly from the 1940s through the ’60s, and is complemented by their multipart harmonies and skillful fiddle playing.

Dale & Ray

Dale Watson and Ray Benson have teamed up to record what is sure to be a country classic gem featuring new original songs like “Bus Breakdown,” “I’m Crying, For Crying Time Again,” “Dale and Ray” and “Feelin’ Haggard.”

High Plains Jamboree

A dynamic country-bluegrass band composed of a fiddler, bassist/banjo player, guitarist and mandolin player, the members of High Plains Jamboree shift around stage switching instruments to create eclectic live performances.

The Line-Up

Once a grand home to Pearl Brewery’s draft horses in the late 1800s, this splendid hall kicks off the tour with an evening welcome reception. The Stable has been meticulously renovated to preserve the charm and integrity of the original structure perfect for country-swing get-downs.

Participants will be treated to a private tasting of bourbon, whiskey and gin at the Ben Milam Distillery in addition to Texas Two Step, Swing and Waltz lessons ahead of evening performances from Asleep at the Wheel and Dale Watson. Festivities will be concluded with a tour of Blanco’s Buggy Barn, which has over 140 buggies dating back to the 1860s.

The Texas Dance Hall Preservation will take guests on a historical tour of several halls in Hill Country during the day ahead of the evening’s performances. Fischer’s beautiful hand-hewn beams and rafters were included in several scenes from Willie Nelson’s movie Honeysuckle Rose, which filmed here.

Luckenbach has continued to be a popular stop for musicians and travelers alike since its rebuilding in the early 1930s.This hall was home to Willie Nelson’s renowned Fourth of July Picnic from 1995 through 1999, and was even paid a visit by Elizabeth Taylor.

Sengelmann still retains its original architecture from the 1890s and its cultural status as the social hub of Schulenburg. The longleaf pine dance floor complements the halls original and unique wall stenciling framed by carved marble pillars that are riddled with bullet holes from brawls during the 1800s when it was known as the Two Brothers Saloon.

Built in 1925, Fair Pavilion has served as an integral place for people of La Grange and the surrounding area to enjoy themselves. No daytime plans for the tour have been announced yet but guests can visit historical sites like the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center, Kreische Brewery or paddle down the Colorado River. If you find yourself craving a little something before dinner, sample traditional Czech dishes at the Prause Meat Market, Weikel’s Bakery and Rohan’s Meadery. The Quebe Sisters will close out the week in a dance here with Asleep at the Wheel.